What's That?
by Blackbird Snow
Summary: G1. Breakdown encounters a strange looking Autobot.


The Stunticons' lack of experience is fun to play with. :)

Disclaimer: you know the drill...

* * *

Breakdown tore across the desert landscape, avoiding enemy fire as best he could. He sped past several large boulders (they were watching him, he just knew it!), taking cover behind a suitably sized one before transforming to robot mode and pulling out his own blaster. He returned fire at the attacking Autobots, ducking down every few seconds as a beams flew dangerously close to his head, landing harmlessely into the wall of rock behind him. Things were getting a little heavy there, so he transformed again and took off in a flurry of dust, looking for newer, safer cover.

He found an area that wasn't as hot as his previous fighting place and he took shelter once more, leaning against a pile of large rocks and resting for a while. He heard some close-by yells and shuffling sounds over the roaring of the battle, and he peered cautiously over the stones to see if he was in any imminent danger.

There was an Autobot taking cover behind another pile of rocks that wasn't too far from his. He couldn't tell who it was, but there were no reinforcements for it in the immediate vicinity so chances were he could take it out easily. He grabbed his blaster again and checked for any oncoming laserfire before sprinting quickly over to the Autobot's hiding place. He readied himself, his finger on the trigger, and then whirled on the unsuspecting robot.

Then he stopped, almost dropping his gun. The Autobot was...different from the others. He froze in place in surprise, and the Autobot did the same, but it didn't fire at him. It stared at him curiously, and locked in a fighting stance, ready to pounce should it need to.

Breakdown stepped backwards, caught off guard from his attack. Something was creeping up his spinal column. The Autobot was staring at him. Nearly falling into a panic attack, he stumbled away from the other, transformed, and fled, leaving the confused Autobot to try and figure what just happened on its own.

-

The Constructicons had just finished the last of the day's repairs, and Scavenger and Long Haul were completing the last of the cleanup process in the medbay, getting ready to join the others over a nice long energon break. Scavenger found himself rolling his optics at the ceiling after hearing Long Haul complain five more times about carrying the leftover garbage out to the base's disposal unit. He even offered to help him take it just to make him stop whining. Their trip to take out the trash was halted though when three of the Stunticons, Wildrider, Breakdown, and Dragstrip, entered the door, bickering over something amongst themselves.

"The meday's closed right now, guys," Long Haul drawled out at them. "Go find somewhere else to argue!"

"We want to know something," Dragstrip stepped forward, ignoring the dump truck completely. "Breakdown, ask him!" the racecar tugged on his brother's arm, pushing him foward into the spotlight.

Breakdown looked warily between the two Constructicons, searching for the right words so as not to upset them. Well at least upset one of them. "Um, Scavenger? I was hoping you could tell us about that weird Autobot?"

Scavenger looked at him, confused. "Autobot? Which Autobot?"

Breakdown shifted his gaze to the floor, his nervousness almost engulfing him. At least Scavenger was friendly with him. He hated to imagine asking one of the others this. "Well I saw this strange Autobot today. It was pink and white and kinda smaller than the other ones. He was kinda funny looking, too."

"Uhh," Scavenger looked over to Long Haul for help, who only shrugged. "I'm not sure which one you're talking about."

"It the one that sounds funny when he talks! Didn't you hear him yelling during the fight?" Wildrider blurted in.

Scavenger shook his head. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Wait," Long Haul cut him off. "Are you guys talking about that femme that just joined the Autobots?"

The three Stunticons glanced between themselves, and then at Long Haul. "What's a femme?" Dragstrip asked.

-

Scavenger had always wanted someone just to talk to, and Breakdown proved to be good company when the Stunticons came along. The young Decepticon had taken a liking to him, probably because Scavenger had helped him during one of his paranoid fits, trying to make him see that it was all just in his head. The Stunticons still needed some polishing up if they were going to be a good fighting force, and Megatron saw the advantage in letting them befriend a successful gestalt team. So the Constructicons were involuntarily declared something like mentors to the new combiner group. Scavenger didn't really mind, but he couldn't exactly say the same thing for the others. His five counterparts had remained a little bitter about having to look after such immature 'children.'

And today was one of those days when he understood why they felt that way. Incredibly, he had made it back to his quarters that evening without being followed by curious Stunticons. He plopped himself down on his berth, staring at the ceiling. Having been left to fend for himself after Long Haul quickly stated that he had to take out the trash once that oh, so innocent question had been asked, Scavenger had found himself silently wishing he was anywhere but there in the medbay. Somehow, he'd managed to provide an adequate answer to the three Stunticons, after much fumbling with his words. He had to remind himself that they were still young compared to the rest of the army, and they had never stayed on Cybertron for more than a few days in several Earth years. Plus, femmes were not very common in either army nowadays, and they were rarely brought up in conversation. Of course they wouldn't know one if they saw one.

Still, Long Haul could have stayed to help him answer their questions of "How do you tell the difference between mechs and femmes?" and "Why are there femmes anyway?" and of course, his favorite one that day, "Sparklings? How does that happen?".

At least he didn't have to help take out the trash.

_End._


End file.
